Janet's Journal

This is my first Christmas in Sri Lanka.  It started with a bang, well lots of bangs actually, as fireworks were let off at midnight on 30 November.  Fortunately, although the explosions woke me up, I remembered being warned about the noise.

The English language radio station I listen to immediately switched to Christmas songs and have tirelessly repeated the same songs for the rest of the month.

Fear of the Covid 19 virus has meant there haven’t been many people out and about in the last 3 weeks. Coloured lights and Christmas trees have begun to illuminate even the quiet backstreets of town.

Shops have looked more festive and little stalls have sprung in the streets selling brightly coloured tinsel garlands and plastic Santa Claus.  My favourites are the ‘Christmas Houses’, little stables simply made from wood and straw for sale by the roadside.  Other stalls sell the nativity sets to go in them.

Public buildings and churches are all constructing much larger versions.  I had wondered why so many places were selling grass, artificial as well as real turf.  Now I knew, it was for these Christmas scenes.

One week to go and on Saturday night all the main streets in town had their festive lights switched on.  Municipal lorries were decked out with lights and drove slowly along the streets towing floats with school choirs singing carols.  Lots of families gathered in little groups to listen.

With two days to go suddenly the shops were packed with frantic shoppers, clothes, decorations, food and gifts being bought in a consumer frenzy. Christmas music blaring out of loudspeakers everywhere.

The highlight of the celebrations is Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, this year the churches will be holding three or four services to enable everybody to attend and social distance. With only fifty worshippers allowed inside, most people will be outside under the soft night sky.

At midnight more fireworks were let off all over town to welcome in Christmas Day. The final Mass of the night having to compete with continual explosions in street and sky.

After the rain and generally miserable weather of the last few days Christmas morning was clear blue skies and beautiful sunshine so I was able to tick another item off my bucket list – a swim in the Indian Ocean before Christmas lunch.

Thambili (king coconut) wine made earlier in the year can now be drunk with a real rice and curry feast.  Tables groan under the weight of chicken, pork, beef, prawn, cuttlefish and fish dishes, vegetable curries and festive yellow rice.  Bananas, butter cake, fruit cake fill any remaining space.  Get ready to party!

I didn’t attempt to compete with this, instead I did a version of an English Christmas dinner for a few Sri Lankan friends.  A roast chicken with a cashew nut stuffing was the centre piece with rosemary roasted potatoes.  The ‘pigs in blankets’ and bread sauce caused the most interest though.

Arrack and a few games of cards in the evening was enough for me.  After my guests departed any thought of a quiet night were dashed as I realised the fireworks would continue till after midnight.

The next two days people went to the beach, let off more fireworks and partied.  I was assured that it had been a very quiet Christmas compared to most years.